CF2 - PATRIOTISM

PATRIOTISM

Patriotism or national pride is a sense of love, dedication and attachment to a country and an alliance with other people who share the same impression. This attachment can be a mixture of many distinct emotions, including ethnic, cultural, political or historical elements, related to one's own country. It is a predominant virtue linked to a nation's love, with greater emphasis on values and beliefs. One who is patriotic will be willing to offer any sacrifice to his nation. He'll never live alone egotistically. For example, for the sake of his country, a soldier makes the ultimate sacrifice of his life. For no other reason than being a citizen of that nation, patriotism is a dedication to one's nation. In essence, patriotism is a sense of attachment and dedication to a country, nation, or political community or just country love.

The English word patriot is first known in the Elizabethan period; it originated from Latin (6th century) patriota via Middle French, meaning "countryman," finally from Greek (patriötës), meaning 'from the same nation' (patris), meaning "fatherland" (Liddell & Scott, 2013). The abstract noun patriotism appears in the early 18th century.

By adhering to a national religion, patriotism can be reinforced. This is the reverse of the church-state separation requested by the Enlightenment intellectuals who saw patriotism and religion as analogous and opposing forces. Michael Billig and Jean Bethke Elshtain both asserted that it is hard to discern the distinction between patriotism and faith and depends heavily on the attitude of the person who does the label (Billig, 1995).

Kinds of Patriotism

1. Patriotism of Duty

This includes fidelity to one's nation through material acts. This is military service patriotism and other selfless sacrifice types. This is where patriotism becomes embodied and its ideals take praiseworthy particular actions.

2. Patriotism of Affection

This is the patriotism of the heart. It is about one's internal desire for his country's well-being. The patriotism of affection can be seen in the patriotism of duty, but it does not necessarily result in it; one can truly love his country and yet be a coward, just as one can theoretically fulfil a patriotic duty and yet feel apathetic about the country's welfare.

3. Patriotism of Manners

This is customs patriotism, written and unwritten. The patriotism of manners is to place one's hand over the heart during the national anthem. It can be performed by anyone without actually needing affection or duty patriotism. While the above types of patriotism show, at least in part, the real beliefs and hopes of a person, the patriotism of manners establishes mostly a set of protocols

Types of Patriotism

1. Personal Patriotism - Is emotional and voluntary.

The patriot adheres to certain patriotic values, such as respect for the flag or the honoring of veterans. Other expressions of personal patriotism include enlisting in the army, public service, and participation in the political process through voting or other forms of activism.

2. Official Patriotism-Promoted by the government

which has a high symbolic and ceremonial content. It is a logical consequence of the state itself, which derives legitimacy from being the expression of the common good of the political community.

National monuments, and veterans days and commemoration ceremonies are typical examples. Often official patriotism is highly regulated by protocol, with specific methods for handling flags, or specific pledges and displays of allegiance.

Official patriotism relies heavily on symbolic acts, such as displaying the flag, singing the national anthem, saying a pledge, participating in a mass rally, placing a patriotic bumper sticker on one's vehicle, or any other way of publicly proclaiming allegiance to the state.

3. Symbolic Patriotism In wartime is intended to raise morale, in turn contributing to the war effort.

4. Peacetime Patriotism Cannot be so easily linked to a measurable gain for the state, but the patriot does not see it as inferior. Levels of patriotism vary across time, and among political communities. Typically, patriotic intensity is higher when the state is under external threat.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PATRIOTISM AND NATIONALISM

While the terms patriotism and nationalism were once regarded as synonymous, distinct connotations were assumed. While both are people's feelings of affection for their nation, the values on which they are based are very distinct. Patriotism feelings are based on the country's positive values like liberty, justice, and equality. The patriot thinks that both their country's state system and individuals are inherently good and working together to achieve a better quality of life.

On the other hand, nationalism emotions are based on the belief that one's nation is superior to all others. It also holds a connotation of other countries 'distrust or disapproval, leading to the premise that other states are competitors. While patriots do not degrade other countries automatically, nationalists do, sometimes to the point of calling for the global dominance of their country. Nationalism is the polar opposite of globalism by its protectionist beliefs.

Historically, both positive and negative have been the impacts of nationalism. While it has motivated movements of autonomy, such as the Zionist movement that formed contemporary Israel, it was also a main factor in the increase of the German Nazi Party and the Holocaust (Longley, 2019).

According to Sydney J. Harris, the patriot is proud of his nation for what it does, and the nationalist is proud of his nation whatever it does; the first approach generates a sense of accountability and the second a sense of blind stupidity leading to war.